By Theo Adebowale
|
The world is made up of many peoples. Not a few of them tremble when there is threat of death. Many men of power, military chiefs, medical scientists, cardiologists, knowledgeable in nature even powerful ministers of the gospel with many acts of miracles become helpers at the mention of death carrying viruses. So the fear that refuse to believe that the pandemic is real, also perform a positive role in the community; so also are the business community that ensured that even in the face of death, business have its cost. Diversity in thought, action and attitude is a strong phenomenon of society. No matter how coercive there in position of authority are, they can’t frustrate it.
Society has benefitted from this character of the people tremendously. Whereas it is to the benefit of the youth to be obedient, law abiding, acts of obedience brings about orderliness just as it may be dysfunctional. Ikemefuna disclosed the nature of his mom’s ailment to their neighbours against father’s instruction and that was what saved her from untimely death. Small pox was overcome when the people got convinced that it was not a certain god that brought about the ailment but they had to make radical changes in hygiene and take new medication.
By and large, the various attributes nature has given to man would be employed for good results by those who occupy positions of authority. Autocratic leadership must be encouraged. Those who silence views by elimination, blackmail and intimidation. The present method of regulating public opinion by allowing radio stations to debate a topic make the audience contribute under threats and intimidation of the NBC does not go far, particularly since the print has been replaced by the social medial. A great vacuum war exists which can only be effectively occupied by the political parties. Public enlightenment activities to educate the people on political ideology, leadership roles, party obligations and membership benefits.
Each political party should educate Nigerians on what they have to offer to the exclusion of other parties, what their chance are and where it must be preferred. The present practice where each party waits on till the election even to announce its presence is fraught with dangers of electoral fraud, vote buying and apathy.
Again, there are so many categories of people that need to be reached separately if democracy must be served. Those with irregular access to the media. The democratic process itself must be opened to them so they can behold the beauty of proper participation.
It is the responsibility of political parties to justify their existence by displaying its beauty and challenging the people to lend a hand to make it more admirable, afterwards more people contributing to the process can only expand the frontiers and not undermine the process. Religious organisations thrive by getting more members through conversion. Now converts are better than decampees who turn out to be birds of passage. Whereas converts would be patient to study the platform of their new party rather than continue to roll away like a rolling stone that gather no muse.
There should be liberalization of membership of political parties, increased participation in party politics, meaningful contributions to the political process, public examination of government policies and actions and recognition of the citizens as an index of social and economic importance.
